State lawmakers are once again taking a stab at banning offshore drilling along the New Jersey coastline. The latest such bill, sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, was approved this week by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee that Smith chairs. The next stop is the full Senate.

The final stop should be a signature on the governor's desk, because this is legislation that needs to become law, once and for all. It's not complicated, and there are no gray areas that should give anyone pause.

Honestly, does anyone outside the oil and natural gas industry itself actually want to see derricks popping up off the Jersey Shore? Does anyone genuinely believe that all of the environmental threats generated by the drilling will be worth the risk to New Jersey, in any way?

Offshore drilling won't lower energy costs. It won't ease prices at the gas pump, or meaningfully further the nation's efforts at energy independence. The complexities of the global energy market can be exasperating to explore, but the fact remains that drilling for oil off the New Jersey coastline ultimately does little for New Jersey.

So why even think of allowing it? A state ban can only do so much; the prospect remains of drilling in federal waters, or off other neighboring coastlines. But New Jersey can and should prohibit the state Department of Environmental Protection from issuing any permits related to offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, as Smith's bill would mandate. It's that simple.

The risks of drilling are frightening. The national debate shifted dramatically after the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. That accident killed 11 crew members and dumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the sea, causing incalculable damage to marine life and the coastal economy in the Gulf.

What we learned from the BP spill, among other things, is that no amount of supposedly state-of-the-art safety measures are enough to adequately protect the environment when drilling for oil in the middle of the ocean. Americans tend to have great faith in the march of technology to solve problems, but offshore drilling represents an enormous gamble. One misstep, and an entire region can be damaged for a generation and beyond. Even smaller, more common accidents have long-term negative effects. And it's all for what? To add to Big Oil's bottom line?

We would hope legislators wouldn't hesitate to approve the bill. But there are concerns about Gov. Christie's reaction should he be asked to sign off on the restrictions. Christie has been no friend of the environment, but he has expressed opposition to offshore drilling in the past, and has often spoken of the importance of protecting the Jersey Shore and its economy.

The wild card here, however, is Christie's presidential aspirations, and his efforts to please national conservatives. Can Christie follow through on a drilling ban when the people pulling the GOP strings are pushing him in the opposite direction? Will Christie do what's right for the state — or for his own candidacy?